Something else was clear. This was no Russian submarine. They were looking at the final resting place for the Miami and her crew. There was no mistaking the source of the damage that had sent her to the bottom, either.

This was no accident. This sinking had been caused by hostile torpedoes. Someone had attacked them, sunk them, murdered them all.

“Nav, mark this location.” His voice was dry and weak when he spoke. He cleared his throat and wiped the sweat from his brow with the sleeve on the back of his arm. “XO, we know what happened to Bill Crawford, but why? Any ideas?”

Edwards shook his head. He felt dizzy, stunned.

Andy Gerson, Miami’s XO, had been a friend and classmate. Edwards had even been best man at Andy’s wedding a couple of years before. Now he was gone. Someone would have to tell Trisha Gerson, would have to try to explain what had happened.

The XO couldn’t help it. Tears streamed down his face and he made no attempt to hide them.

Glass gave him a subtle nudge and spoke quietly to him.

“XO, snap out of it. I know how you feel. Right now we’ve got to report this and make damn sure the same thing doesn’t happen to us. The son of a bitch who did this may still be lurking around out there somewhere.”

Edwards nodded and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. “Yes, sir. I’m all right. We’d better stow the Sea Scan and report this to SUBLANT.”

Glass turned to Perez. “Nav, have Dr. Schwartz stow Sea Scan as quickly as he can. Find us a polynya as near as possible and have radio draft an OPREP-Three ‘sub sunk’ message.” He paused for a moment before uttering the words he had hoped he would never speak. “Sunk due to enemy action.”

“Yes, sir!”

Perez jumped into action, issuing a flurry of orders.

Edwards turned to Glass and spoke in a low, forceful voice, his words spat out through clenched teeth. “Skipper, I recommend that we treat all submerged contacts as hostile until we are out from under the ice.”

Glass shook his head and answered quietly, “Much as I would like to, we can’t do that, Brian. We have no idea who did that.” He nodded back over his shoulder at the monitor, now gone dim as the robot sub was retrieved. “Or who else might be out here. We don’t want to start a war by accidentally shooting some innocent boat that’s out here on a rescue mission just like we are.”

Edwards, his face red, started to argue. “But, Skipper—”

“No ‘buts’ about it, XO. We’ll be careful. We’ll be ready for anything. But we shoot in self-defense only.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Captain, Sea Scan is stowed,” Perez called out. “Request permission to cut and jettison the fiber and shut the outer door.”